I'll stick my neck out --- (2) and (3) remain true, by (geometric) symmetry. The reflected ray behaves as if it were re-radiated from the point of incidence; so its frequency is blue-shifted by the ray's component along the direction of motion. Now then, how are we going to test it? WFL On 9/4/08, Eugene Salamin <gene_salamin@yahoo.com> wrote:
Test your physical intuition. We know that when light reflects from a stationary mirror
(1) The frequency of the reflected light equals the frequency of the incident light,
(2) The direction of the incident ray, the direction of the reflected ray, and the mirror normal are coplanar, and
(3) The angle of reflection equals the angle of incidence.
Suppose however, that the mirror is moving parallel to its surface. Do these three principles of reflection continue to hold?
Gene
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun